Penn State Milton S Hershey Medical Center Program

Program Identity & Fit

Penn State Hershey's Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine Residency is a large, university-based academic program (19 categorical positions/year) distinguished by one of the earliest four-year integrated curricula in the country, weaving clinical base rotations across PGY-1 through PGY-3 rather than isolating a separate intern year. The program trains residents as anesthesiology consultants at a tertiary academic medical center with subspecialty depth (cardiothoracic with structured TEE progression, neuro, pediatric, OB, pain, critical care) and graduated autonomy that builds toward a CA-2 "Call Chief" leadership role. Research is meaningfully embedded but optional-intensity: the competitive Priestley Scholarship funds one resident per year for a formal research track explicitly aimed at academic anesthesiology careers, while roughly half of graduates pursue fellowships (five ACGME-accredited options in-house) and others move directly into private or academic consultant practice. The program appears to value residents who can handle early clinical responsibility, engage in structured subspecialty progression (especially echo/TEE and regional/ultrasound skills), and contribute to a strong teaching and mentorship culture reflected in resident-nominated teaching awards.